Truckers not only drivers experiencing ‘parking pain’

July 18, 2017

Truckers are having a difficult time getting more parking spaces added to the infrastructure, but they are not alone. A new study by INRIX, a global company providing traffic and parking data, reveals that “parking pain” is costing American motorists billions of dollars.

INRIX studied the economic costs of parking pain in 30 cities in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. Research found that parking pain cost drivers in the U.S. $95.7 billion a year, drivers in the U.K. £31.2 billion ($40.6 billion) and drivers in Germany €45.2 billion ($52.32 billion).

In the U.S., motorists waste an average of 17 hours a year looking for parking, which isn’t as bad as in the U.K. (44 hours) and Germany (41 hours). The worst city by a large margin is New York City at 107 hours followed by Los Angeles (85 hours) and San Francisco (83 hours). The worst city in the U.K. is London (67 hours) and Frankfurt (65 hours) in Germany.

Financial burdens of parking pain are not just theoretical, but very real to drivers. More specifically, the cost of overpaying on a meter is draining more than $20 billion out of Americans’ pockets. Let’s not forget parking fines; Americans are receiving 0.20 a year (Germans are receiving 0.84 per person).

Economic burdens trickle down to business owners as well. More than 40 percent of all drivers said they avoided driving to shops in the past year, and almost 1 in 3 gave up on reaching their destination due to parking problems.

Could you imagine what would happen to the economy if truckers gave up a shipment because of parking pain?

Based on this study, there’s a good reason why many truckers are against paid parking. Supply and demand allows Chicago to charge $13 for just two hours of on-street parking. Meanwhile in New York City, two hours of off-street parking will cost $32.80!

And if truck stops decided to do metered parking, watch out. In New York City, motorists paid for 96 hours in overpaid time, which is nearly $900 a year per driver. As if the cost of living in NYC wasn’t bad enough.

INRIX also found non-economic costs of parking pain. Finding a parking spot is not good for one’s mental health, as nearly two-thirds of motorists felt stressed trying to find a parking spot. About one-quarter of motorists argued with another driver over parking. About 40 percent missed an appointment, and 34 percent just flat out gave up on reaching their destination.

Obviously, the parking pain experienced by truckers is not the same as that felt by commuters. Parking pain for commuters mostly affects those in densely populated cities, whereas nearly every trucker feels the pain nationwide.

This may explain why rural communities are always denying truck stops in their town. They simply do not understand the burden of parking pain the way those in larger cities might.

As populations grow, the economy progresses, and driving becomes cheaper, parking will continue to be a problem for everybody, not just truckers.

Tyson Fisher, staff writer and research associate, joined Land Line Magazine in March 2014. An award-winning journalist and tireless researcher, his news reports, features and blogs bring depth to our editorial content, backed with solid detail. Tyson received his journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

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